Gotta admit that I've let myself wax nostalgic and get fired up about the prospect of getting back in a glider to do some cross-country flying and badge hunting.

Who else is a glider pilot here and how far have you taken it as a sport?

Doug

Started flying gliders in 1969, got a CFIG in 1972, ended up with 1500 hours by 1988 and gave it up to actually be able to own a real airplane.
(That doesn't mean gliders aren't real, just that airplanes cost a LOT more.)

If I lived where I could get a tow I might still be doing it.

Rocky

I usual go to AZ for a couple weeks in the winter to fly gliders. Didn't make it this year, too much going on.....

Found this today while surfing. Kinda sums up the new glider/competition pilot mentality. Turn up your speakers. It's a little off topic, but funny.

http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/inh-ls-e.html

RockyTFS wrote:...Started flying gliders in 1969, got a CFIG in 1972, ended up with 1500 hours by 1988 and gave it up to actually be able to own a real airplane...Rocky

I started flying gliders in 1982 after graduating from college. I have about a quarter of the time in them that you do, but I've managed to get my silver badge, one of my gold badge legs, and a lennie pin. I also flew a few competitions in the sports class a few years ago - I'd like to do that again one of these days, it's a lot of fun. Flew out of Tehachapi, CA, California City, CA, Minden, NV, and most of the soaring sites here in Arizona. I've never owned a glider; mostly borrowed, rented, or flew club planes. I earned my glider rating by working the line on the weekends at Tehachapi.

I flew gliders for the 6 years that I lived in western australia. I flew many types, both 2 and single seats. I love flying them, in fact on any given day if there is any kind of lift present, I would take a glider for a fly over power.

If I could afford a powered glider and have the ability to get off the ground when I wanted, I would sell my plane and go that route with out hesitation.

THe skill that is involved is so great and fun, you and the atmosphere at odds with the earth or each other with only your ability to find, or not, any lift to get you home.

20 miles from home and the lift shuts off, scramble to calculate the final glide and hope like hell you find just a little lift on the way. It is exciting at the most basic level.

Dane

RedBaron 180,

If you used to fly at Turf Soaring you might want to know that it has closed.

I got my glider rating in 1986, but didn't do too much with it. Really liked it.

I would like to find a great spot to go soaring near SF or Seattle though to take it up again.

I would love to start gliding. I took a glider ride once back when I was a teenager and thought it was the coolest thing ever.

How do rental rates compare, including tows?

have commercial glider rating, about 100 hours soaring flight time, too many glider tows to count as tow pilot.

El Tiro glider club North of Tucson Az is a great place to do some soaring at a reasonable price but since it is a club they require a commitment of volunteer time. Or just stop by on a weekend and someone will probably take you for a ride.
Dale

zane wrote:I would love to start gliding. I took a glider ride once back when I was a teenager and thought it was the coolest thing ever.

How do rental rates compare, including tows?

Zane, THIS is a pretty good representation of the rates you can expect. Assuming one 2000' aero tow you can rent and fly a 1-26 for three hours for about a hundred bucks.

Did you listen to that song at the link above?

Freestone, they do a lot of glider op's at Arlington north of Seattle. Not being a glider pilot, I don't know if the soaring's any good around there or not.
Glider pilots: what about motorgliders? Do "real" glider pilots look down their nose at them for not being a pure form of the sport? Those look like they'd be the ticket-- no tug or catapult required, just go. What kind of price range for a nice used one?
I don't even know the brand names except for a couple- Grob, Stemme, Diamond. I saw some for sale a while back locally that were European (as most seem to be) with what looked to be inverted 4 cyl inline engines. Those looked pretty affordable.

Eric

zero.one.victor wrote:...Glider pilots: what about motorgliders? Do "real" glider pilots look down their nose at them for not being a pure form of the sport? Those look like they'd be the ticket-- no tug or catapult required, just go. What kind of price range for a nice used one?
I don't even know the brand names except for a couple- Grob, Stemme, Diamond. I saw some for sale a while back locally that were European (as most seem to be) with what looked to be inverted 4 cyl inline engines. Those looked pretty affordable.

Eric

I don't think that most glider pilots look down their nose at motorgliders. I've had the opportunity to fly the Grob and the Dimona, both fun and versatile planes. Being able to save yourself from a landout by restarting the engine does change the psychology of cross-country flying though, and some soaring purists don't like that; but when you can't find a towplane to give you a lift you can't beat a motorglider. A good motorglider can be very expensive too, especially the high performance single seat models.

The Stemme S10 is a VERY expensive motorglider. Stemme also has a new motorglider called the S6 that looks very nice and hopefully it's less expensive because it doesn't have all the fancy propeller retraction mechanisms. Check it out here: http://www.stemmewest.com/

My first flying job was in a super cub and a pawnee towing gliders. Over 1000 hours out front, but only about 10 hours in gliders themselves. I soloed, and made a couple solo flights, including a 3 hour flight - but I never got more than 10 miles from the airport. I really enjoyed soaring, and came to realize it as the most pure form of flying I've done. Unfortunately, I was just a poor tow-pilot, and could keep paying for tows. I promised myself that I'll get my rating some day though.

This was in Boulder, Colorado, and seemed like fantastic soaring. I used to tow guys into the mountain wave, terrible turbulence through the rotor, and then laminar with the VSI pegged at 2000 fpm up! I was always jealous - the glider would release and I'd have to turn around and fight the rotor out to pick up the next guy. I'd finish the day sometimes with bruises on my shoulders from the harness.

Great first job, by the way. Learn tons about airplanes and flying and working the environment to your advantage; you learn to love a blustery cross-wind, and you're in a sigle seat airplane - so it's always up to just you.

John